Automatic feed-regulator for grinding-m i lls



(No Model.)

' J. W. HILLIARD.

v AUTOMATIC FEED REGULATOR FOR GRINDING MILLS. 8- Patented Oct. 16, 1883Zia/adore V J070n,%sZe y E,iZh'anZ.

N. PETERS. mowum n hm, Washington. D. c.

" NrrEn STATES PATENT OFricE.

JOHN wEsLEY HILLIARD, OF HAWLEY, MINNEsOTA.

AUTOMATIC FEED-REGULATOR FOR GRINDING-MILLS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 286,818, dated October16, 1888 7 Application filed March 13, 1883. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN WEsLEY HIL- LIARD,a citizen of the United States, residing rial from the hoppers ofgrinding-mills,whereby a regular feed can be obtained without requiringthe constant attention of an attendant. To attain such end I utilizetheweight of the material in the hopper as a means for automaticallyactuating mechanism for controlling the size of the discharge from thehopper, so that when the weight of material in the hopper rises or fallsbeyondapredeterminedlimit the mechanism will. be actuated and thefeedspace at the discharge end of the hopper adjusted accordingly.

The invention. will be first described in detail, and afterward pointedout in' the claims.

In the annexed drawings, which illustrate a mechanism constructed inaccordance with my invention, Figure 1 represents a top or plan viewwith the hopper indicated in dottedlines. Fig. 2 is a side elevationwith a portion of the framesupport for the hopper in section and aportion of the discharge-spout of the hopperbroken away.

Aindicates the hopper which is supported .by a spider or frame, B,having two of its arms,b, either hinged to or pivotally supported uponpins 0, which constitute fulcral supports for this end of theframe. Asshown, these pins enter sockets in the said arms; but, if preferred,said arms can rest upon any suitable knife-edge supports fiXed upon theframe of the mill. The arm I) at the opposite end of the frame is hingedto the outer end of a lever, C,which is fulcrumed at a point between itsends on a support, D. The inner end of this lever is forked, as ate, andarranged to embrace a metal or other tube, E, to which the forks of saidlever are pivoted. Thistube is arranged to slide upon the discharge tubeor support a of the hopper, so. that in effect the hopper is providedwith an adjustable neck or tween the hopper and the hinge-connectionbetween said frame and the lever. Thelower end of this: set-screwconnects with a coiled or other analogous spring, G, which is secured tothe lever, the mode of connection between the set-screw and spring, asherein shown, being to fit the end of the set-screw in a plate securedon the spring.

H denotes the saucer or distributing-plate, that is carried by thedriver or balance-rynd in the eye of the runnerstone, or otherwise, in agrinding-mill.

Now, supposing the set-screw to be adjusted so that the hopper is halffull, the parts will so balance that the tube which is supported by thelever will have its lower end maintained at the required distance abovethe distributing-plate as long as the parts arekept in balance by theweight of the material half filling the hopper. If, then, the supplyshould fill the hopper in excess of the quantity just mentioned, theextra weight will tend to cause the hopper to fall and bear down thehinged end. of the frame, which connects with the lever, and hencedepress the outer and raise the inner end of thelever, which will inturn lift the tube E, so as to increase the distance be tween saiddischarge .and the distributingplate. By thus shortening the two partsof discharge-spout of the hopper greater space is allowed for the feed,and hence the contents of the hopper will be emptied in proportion tothe amount of material supplied thereto. As soon as the quantity in thehopper has been reduced to its normal weight, the extra pressure will berelieved from the frame and lever,

and the spring will thereby be enabled to raise sliding tube beinglowered, and hence there will be less space between thedischarge-openingand the distributing-plate, so that the contents of the hopper willdischarge more slowly through the diminished outlet. It will be seenthat this shifting of the sleeve or tube so as to vary the area of thedischarge-opening can take place at any predetermined condition of feedby adjusting the set-screw so as to vary the expansive power of thespring which lies between the frame and the lever.

. This arrangement makes an effective and reliable automatic regulator,which is variable to the extent of the capacity of the hopper.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination,in a feed-regulator for grinding-mills, of the saucer, the movablehopper provided with an adjustable neck, and means adapting the latterto automatically rise and fall by variations in weight of the contentsof the hopper, whereby the discharge-opening is varied according to theweight of the material contained in the hopper, substantially asdescribed.

upon the hopper-neck, a spring located between the frame and lever, anda set-screw for varying the expansive force of the spring,substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing wit- HGSSGS.

JOHN YVESLEY HILLIARD.

WVitnesses ROBERT ORAIK, XVALTER TANNER.

